Australian extremists killed in US Predator drone strike in Yemen

TWO Australian al-Qaeda fundamentalists — one dubbed “Muslim bin John” — have reportedly been killed in a targeted US strike.

Network Writer

News Corp AustraliaApril 16, 201412:35pm

Killed ... Abu Habib al-Yemeni, a veteran of the Afghan Jihad against the Soviets.Source:News Corp Australia

TWO Australian citizens were reportedly killed in a US Predator drone strike on five al-Qaeda militants travelling in a convoy of cars in Yemen.

It is the first known case of Australian extremists dying as a result of Washington’s controversial use of predator drones, The Australian reports.

The newspaper names the Australian citizens as Christopher Harvard of Townsville and a New Zealand dual citizen who went by the name of “Muslim bin John” and fought under the alias “Abu Suhaib al-Australi”.

The incident happened on November 19 but their identities have only just come to light.

A senior counter-terrorism source said the men were “foot soldiers” for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Qaeda’s regional franchise based in Yemen.

The five militants killed were eulogised on Twitter, which named them under their aliases as Abu Habib al-Yemeni, Abu Salma al-Russi, Abu Suhaib al-Australi, Waddah al-Hadramawti and Hammam al-Misri.

Killed ... Abu Habib al-Yemeni, a veteran of the Afghan Jihad against the Soviets.Source:News Corp Australia

A spokeswoman for the AFP declined to comment, as did a spokesman for the US embassy in Canberra.

But the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the nationality of the men killed to The Australian.

It emphasised the Australian government had no prior knowledge of the strike.

“There was no Australian involvement in, or prior awareness of, the operation,” a spokesman said.

He said DFAT could confirm the deaths late last year of “two Australians in Yemen, one of whom was a dual-national.”

New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was aware of reports a New Zealander had been killed, a spokeswoman said.

It had notified the man’s next of kin.

“We believe he died in a counter-terrorism operation in November,” she said in a statement.

“We do not propose to discuss the details of the operation. We never discuss the details of such activity.”

New Zealand was not involved in or aware of the drone strike, she said.

Last year, Prime Minister John Key says he has signed surveillance warrants on New Zealanders who were in Yemen at al-Qaeda terrorist training camps.

He said the number was small, but warned there are “radicalised New Zealanders” who had left the country or returned.